Often during her first months as the new dean of the School of Nursing, Dr. Debra Barksdale walked past a classroom and overheard a class discussion.
“I always say I like to see or hear learning occurring,” she says. “That’s been really nice.”
Instead of easing into her new position as the nursing dean, Barksdale arrived on campus during a global pandemic. Her first day was July 19, just as students began returning to UNCG.
Since then, she has worked to implement her vision for the School of Nursing, which moved into its new home in the Nursing and Instructional Building earlier this year. Her top priorities include increasing the school’s enrollment, expanding its research efforts, and ensuring it meets new guidelines that impact nursing education.
Barksdale admits she’s not afraid to take risks and make changes if needed. She has worked with faculty and staff members to examine all areas of the School of Nursing and determine “how do we fit, where do we fit, and what adjustment do we need to make to be in alignment” with other nationally recognized nursing schools.
“I keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint because I have a lot of ideas,” she says. “I am creative. I am innovative. I do like to challenge the status quo and think differently about things.”
Barksdale was raised in rural Virginia as the daughter of a sharecropper. As a kid, she was inspired to become a nurse from watching the TV sitcom “Julia,” in which the title character played by Diahann Carroll works as a nurse.
It was the first time she had seen someone who looked like her working as a nurse.
Barksdale became the first faculty member of color to achieve the rank of full professor with tenure in UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Nursing. After five years as a professor and associate dean of academic affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, she was hired as the first Black dean of the UNCG School of Nursing.
“I keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint because I have a lot of ideas.”
Barksdale has tried to learn as much as she can about the School of Nursing in her short time at UNCG. She held a meeting one evening with students from all the Nursing programs to connect with them.
She has also walked through nearly every room inside the new, cutting-edge building.
“Whenever I take a tour of the building – I’ve had many – I always discover some area that I didn’t know about and just the potential that we have,” she says.
By Alex Abrams
Photograph by Martin W. Kane